November 8, 2004

Voter's Guide 2.0

 Now that the elections are over we can begin the work of closely monitoring our elected officials to track and document where they truly stand when it comes to stadiums in Minnesota. Behold, the new and improved Greet Machine Voter's Guide! It now lists only the representatives for each district, and it includes icons to help people quickly see if a representative is pro-stadium or not:

-- Pro-stadium (thtat is a tiny picture of the new Twins stadium) -- Anti-stadium -- Unknown

Of course, I'd love to specifically list whether a representative is in favor of a Twins stadium, or a Vikings stadium, or both. That, I think, will happen as the list grows, but for the most part if a person is pro-stadium for the Twins they are probably pro-stadium for the Vikings. Although, they may not think the Vikings situation needs to be addressed as quickly as the Vikings may like.

Also note that there is now a breakdown of the number of pro-stadium legislators vs. the anti-stadium legislators:
Pro-stadium: 42
Anti-stadium: 49
Unknown: 43

Looks like we have our work cut out for us. As always, I need all the help I can get making this list complete. And be rest assured, a list of all the Senators and their stadium stances isn't far behind. Please let me know if you think the Voter's Guide needs anything else, or if you can help out. By the way, I got a note from Jay Weiner of the Star Tribune who said he will refer to the Guide in an upcoming article about stadiums. Hopefully the tag line, "Now we'll know who to blame when the Twins and Vikings leave" will freak some legislators out. It probably won't.

 And speaking of stadiums, I have a little news about Red McCombs and the Vikings. Every Sunday I do my darndest to listen to the Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave, and not because I think Sid is a great journalist or even a great interviewer. It is because he always get's the most important people for any issue to call into the show. I've heard interviews with Tim Pawlenty, Steve Sviggum, Jerry Bell, etc., etc. on his show that you can't hear anywhere else. Good stuff, especially for a stadium wacko like me (and Sid).

Anyway, today out of the blue Red McCombs called in to Sid's show. Of course, Sid made sure he complimented Red right away, and then there was the obligatory blah blah blah ... you get the picture. But then Sid asked Red about the new stadium deal in Texas. My ears tuned in as I prayed Sid would ask him the tough questions. Sid asked, and I'm paraphrasing here now, "What do you think of the deal Jerry Jones got down there in Arlington? What was the deal? Half and half?" Red answered, "Yes, Jerry is paying for half of the stadium, but he is also building a lot around the stadium." Sid said something to the effect, "Would that be something you'd be interested in? Paying half and then developing around the stadium?" Red answered, "Yes, that is the model that works now. You know, the people in Blaine had a really good idea. That would have worked." Sid said, "Do you think it would still work?" And Red answered, and this is where it got really interesting, "Yes, I expect that is how someone will do it."

Did you catch that? Someone. That usually signifies that it will not be the person that is saying someone. This isn't really ground-breaking news, but to hear Red talk like this certainly made it sound like he is itching to sell and maybe soon. Perhaps this is why he won't deal with Mike Tice's contract? This may also explain why Fowler and Hecker haven't made an offer yet. Maybe Red is so desperate that by waiting a few more weeks, in order to make him sweat it out, they can get a better deal? Who knows. All we can hope for, though, is that Red sells to an owner committed to keeping the team in Minnesota. A new owner, and an owner committed to Minnesota, is the Vikings only chance to get a stadium built.

UPDATE: Of course, Sid wrote about this himself today. His memory of the interview, as hard as this is to believe, is better than mine. Then again, he can probably go back and listen to the tapes of the show.